Scents

Many of our memories are associated with scents. They can be either positive or negative. Some of my favorite scents are freshly baked cookies, campfires, lavender, newborn babies. Some not-so-favorite smells would include burnt popcorn, a freezer full of meat that accidentally got unplugged and 13-year-old boys wearing copious amounts of Axe cologne.

In 2 Corinthians 2:15 it says “we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.” What aroma does your life evoke when you come to someone’s mind? How are people feeling after a conversation/interaction/meeting you’ve been part of? The fragrance of your life can direct people toward or away from God.

We have all had interactions with someone who is dealing with the consequences of wrong choices in their life. The worst part is that those decisions affect family, friends, co-workers, fellow congregants and that stinks. The stench can be unbearable. Is there a stench coming from the garbage in your life?

Or maybe there’s hurt and anger that boils over and leaves people with the scent of a burnt stove element…unpleasant but inescapable. It can linger and take a long time for the damage to dissipate.

Perhaps you encounter someone who does not share your beliefs so you decide to hammer them with your theology, opinions and divisive arguments but without love…without wisdom…without permission. That kind of overpowering, overbearing odor may have the “Axe effect” on people. My response to that approach - whether it’s doorknockers giving me the latest religious literature or high-pressure salespeople at a furniture store or dealership - is “Exit stage left…I gotta go where this isn’t happening”.

Notice the life of Jesus…people were drawn to Him not repelled by Him.

My goal is that my life smells like Jesus. I pray that the fragrance of your life is inviting and pleasing to the Lord. I pray that when people have been near you, they feel like they have been near God.

Brenda